Yellow Mountains (Huangshan): Your Ultimate Guide
Updated: Sep 20, 2023
My top tips for all the best things to do in and around the stunning granite peaks of the Yellow Mountains! Plus the best area to stay... which can make or break your visit.
Yellow Mountains, or Huangshan (黄山), is a UNESCO World Heritage Site… and it's lovely! It’s made up of massive granite peaks, steep staircases along the side of the mountain, ancient pine trees, and beautiful views. Throughout the scenic area, there are amazing hikes, the loveliest of which interlace all over the top of the mountain.
If you have seen any Chinese art or photography, there's a high likelihood that you’ve seen the beauty that is Huangshan. In fact, the massive granite rocks, the gnarled pine trees, and the seas of clouds in Huangshan inspired the influential ‘shanshui’ (i.e. mountain and water) movement of landscape painting in China. The fundamental basis of oriental landscape art is these mountains.
It’s a relatively quick trip from Shanghai and is one of the most popular tourist destinations in China. Considering how famous it is, and how close to Shanghai it is, the towns surrounding the scenic area are pretty small, rundown, and random. But if you pick the right place to stay, you will have the most magical time in Huangshan.
Best things to do in Yellow Mountain (Huangshan)
How many days?
I’d say about three days within the broader area is perfect.
So, why visit?
Beautiful, massive granite mountains covered in ancient pine trees
Stunning scenery and views
See the real-life inspiration behind ancient Chinese art
Lovely hikes along the top of the mountain
Experience staircases carved along the sheer cliffs of mountains
Nice and easy to get to from Shanghai
Quaint towns, with lovely peace and quiet
Best things to do
Visit the Huangshan Scenic Area
This is the main reason for coming to the Huangshan area. The scenic area is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and it is incredible.
The area is packed with granite peaks (many of which are over 1 000 meters high), ancient pine trees, amazing views, and seas of clouds.
In my mind, the best thing to do is get a cable car up to the top of the mountains, walk around the top of the mountain (the walkways and hikes cover a huge area), and then cable car down the other side.
If you do decide to hike up and down, it's important to know that it is very steep and takes 2-3 hours each way.
Huangshan has four distinct seasons, so any time of the year is amazing, each for its own reason. If I had to pick a season it would be either summer (for the seas of clouds), autumn (for the red leaves and chrysanthemum blossoms), or winter (for the frost flowers and seas of clouds).
Visit Hongcun Ancient Town
The Hongcun ancient village is really lovely and may be one of my favorite ancient towns in China.
It is where the Chinese movie, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was filmed, and while it does have the same touristy shops/restaurants/etc., it feels unique, quaint, and lovely - it's not just a 'copy-paste' ancient town.
I recommend setting aside some time to amble through the village, grab a coffee, beer, or bite to eat, and enjoy the peace and quiet.
Best areas to stay
The actual Huangshan town is a bit odd and pretty run-down. So, although it may feel like the logical place to stay, I would try to avoid it.
I (highly) recommend staying in the Feicui area. It is off the beaten track, it's really peaceful (there's really not a lot happening), it's along a natural little stream, and it's still easy to access the Huangshan Scenic Area. In fact, most accommodations in the area will offer a free 20-minute trip to the Huangshan Scenic Area.
Additionally, on the outskirts of the little town is another scenic area called the Huangshan Emerald Valley Scenic Area, which is a short hike up the mountain along the bright-blue stream and past various temples and viewpoints.
If you do stay in the Feicui area, I definitely suggest that you eat at Huangshan Mountain Xizhu Shanju Minsu (Feicui Valley Shop). It's quaint and delicious, and we ended up going on both days we were there (once for lunch and dinner)! Try the pork ribs and the pork and fresh bamboo (if it's in season).
Getting there
The best way to get to Huangshan is to take a train to the Huangshan North Railway station. Depending on where you stay, it's about a 45-minute to a 1.5-hour drive to your accommodation. Didis are available, but you may need to wait a bit to get a car, otherwise, your accommodation can most likely arrange transport for you.
Getting around
Again, it depends a bit on where you decide to stay, but I suggest either using Didi or getting your accommodation to organize a car for you to get to the scenic area.
Once at the scenic area, you’ll need to get tickets and then jump on a bus that will take you where you need to be in the scenic area.
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